But he admits tonight’s League Cup clash means more to him. He said: “I want to win this derby even more than I did any of those I played in.

“I’ll probably get frustrated standing on the side and not being able to get involved on the pitch.

“I know how much it means to the fans because they’ve been talking about it for weeks. There will be six or seven thousand here and a great atmosphere. As a player you want to be in games that really mean something so both sides will be desperate to win.

“The boys are going into this match with a lot of confidence after the last couple of games and performances. We must make sure we’re not complacent, that we don’t expect to win, that we’re at it right from the start.”

Jamie Hamill is seeking his fourth win out of four against Ayr.

Having returned to Rugby Park for a second spell along with his former boss at previous club Hearts, Gary Locke – now Johnston’s assistant – Hamill is keen to pass on his experience to Killie’s kids. Just as Locke and Johnston did for him when he was an emerging talent almost 10 years ago.

Hamill said: “The way the gaffer and Lockey approached training and the way they spoke to the younger boys such as me had an impact. They were always encouraging people and now that’s what I try to do too.

“Sometimes I feel I’m moaning a lot but that’s the will to win you need to instil in kids coming through.

“The gaffer told me he was looking for me to pass on my knowledge to the young boys, just as I tried to do at Hearts when Lockey was manager.

“But a lot of these players here played last season so they have maybe 20 or 30 games under their belts already. They are all cracking players.

“I’ll be going round firing the boys up but it’s also important we play the game with cool heads.”

Kilmarnock have a clean bill of health. Michael Ngoo and Craig Slater trained yesterday after missing the 2-0 win over Motherwell.